Chapter 98: The Guardian Dragon of the Kingdom
One morning, Liz received an urgent intelligence report from a Skarmory. It was from her cousin, General Gale, one of the commanders on the front line.
"The Earth Kingdom has mobilized their troops?!" she frowned, then immediately summoned her maids to help her put on her armor.
Liz was no stranger to battle. She had been a warrior princess long before she was a queen, leading her Beedrill colony to unite the tribes of Johto. Though she was now thirty, she had been training regularly since Sakaki had shown his ambition two years ago.
"What's wrong?" Alan asked.
"A cavalry force from the Earth Kingdom, numbering three to five thousand, has suddenly emerged from the forest. They're already engaged with our forces at the Silver Mountain Road. I need to go immediately."
"I'll take you there," Alan said, pulling her into his embrace and flying out the window before she could even grab her spear.
"I am your spear," he told her.
The journey took only ten minutes with Extreme Speed. When they arrived, Liz was curled up in a ball, her ears ringing from the wind. Below, the battle was a one-sided chase. General Gale's forces were pursuing a much smaller Earth Kingdom cavalry unit, which was fleeing back towards the Viridian Forest.
"They're trying to lure our troops into the forest," Liz speculated.
"We cannot pursue," Alan stated. "They know the forest; we don't. We would be walking into a trap."
He didn't hesitate. Without even putting Liz down, he opened his mouth and unleashed a [Fire Spin]. Balls of fire rained down, creating a natural wall of flame that blocked the Earth Kingdom army's retreat.
"In the sky! It's the Johto Queen and her dragon that loves to drink milk!" one of the enemy soldiers shouted.
"Charge through!" their commander ordered, but the horses, spooked by the fire, refused to move.
"Leave it to me," Alan said.
He saw that this enemy unit had no Pokémon with them. He swooped down, placed Liz safely behind him, and faced the trapped army.
[Hurricane]!
A fierce wind arose, sweeping the embers from the fire wall towards the enemy. The wind and flames were like a deadly scythe, throwing the cavalry into chaos.
"It's Lord Alan!"
"So strong!"
"Charge! Wipe them out!"
Seeing their chance, the Royal Dragon army surged forward, their morale soaring. The remaining Earth soldiers, seeing their commander killed by a single wave from Alan's [Surf], lost their will to fight and tried to flee, only to be cut down by the pursuing cavalry.
"Alan! So amazing!" After the battle, Liz rushed forward and gave him a big hug, kissing his belly several times.
"Hmph, of course," he said, crossing his arms and wagging his tail, feeling utterly smug.
In the days that followed, the Earth Kingdom sent several more armies to feint attacks, but they would retreat the moment Alan appeared. His fame soared, and the people of the Royal Dragon Kingdom gave him a new name: The Guardian Dragon of the Kingdom.
[Inorin Note:
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